Germany will be up against Ghana as the two teams go head to head in the second round of group fixtures in Group G at the FIFA World Cup 2014. The match will be played at the Estadio Castelao at Fortaleza on Saturday, June 21.
Germany lead group G with a 4-0 victory over Portugal in the opener while Ghana are third after having lost 2-1 to the United States of America in the first round of group matches at the World Cup. The match will also see an unusual event as two brothers turn out for different national teams. While Jerome Boateng plays for the German national team, Kevin Prince Boateng turns out for Ghana.
The Germans will go into the fixture with sky high confidence after having defeated Portugal in emphatic fashion in their first game at the big tournament. Joachim Low’s team simply ripped their opponents apart as Thomas Muller kept up his great record at world cup finals with a hat-trick following his golden boot win in South Africa 2010. Mats Hummels scored a great headed goal from a corner as well for the Bavarians on the occasion.
Hummels is struggling to be fit for Ghana though with speculation doing the rounds that young Freiburg defender Matthias Ginter set to be named in the lineup beside Per Mertesacker. Philipp Lahm has taken his place in midfield for Germany this year in the position where he has been moved by his club coach Pep Guardiola.
Bastian Schweinsteiger will feature for the Germans if he overcomes his fitness issues with Sami Khedira set to be dropped. Toni Kroos played exceedingly well against the Portuguese which makes the possibility of him sitting on the bench remote. Mario Gotze, Mesut Ozil, and Muller are expected to start as the front three for Germany who have been playing a 4-3-3 formation with Ozil being deployed as the false-nine.
Ghana have a strong team but a match against the Germans is not something that they would have wanted at this stage of the tournament after having lost against the USA. Ghana have some great players and strong personalities in their squad with the likes of Michael Essien, Kevin Prince Boateng, Sulley Muntari, Kwado Asamoah, Asamoah Gyan, Christian Atsu, and the Ayew brothers in their lineup.
Kwasi Appiah’s side definitely have the squad to inflict some pain on Germany. However, with the kind of form that the Germans are in currently, it would be some achievement for Ghana if they are able to upstage them come Saturday. Ghana will need to be wary of German counter attacks and will need to defend their set pieces really well. Else, they risk the wrath of a team which is in superb form at this moment in time.